Apart from Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, several other senior officers are supposed to have been on the chopper too
Coonoor (Tamil Nade): A military chopper has crashed in Tamil Nadu with senior officials were on board. More details are awaited. CDS Bipin Rawat, his staff and some of his family members were in the Mi-series chopper that crashed between Coimbatore and Sulur.
Search and rescue operations launched from nearby bases, say sources. The Indian Air Force tweet confirms the incident. But as per Zee News sources, CDS Rawat has reportedly been hospitalised and though critical, seems to be responding to treatment. However, there’s no official confirmation on the same. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will brief the parliament on the crash soon.
As per sources, a total of 14 people including Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat, his family members and staff, Defence Assistant, security commandos and IAF pilots were on board the chopper.
The local military officers have reached the location and were told that locals have taken a few bodies with 80% burns to a local hospital. Some bodies can be seen downhill in the area of the accident. Efforts are on to retrieve the bodies and check identities. These are all according to sources, further official confirmations are awaited.
